


A Furry Purr-oblem

by BeccaBluejay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 06:49:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13208259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaBluejay/pseuds/BeccaBluejay
Summary: What really happens when Hermione is stuck in the hospital wing after taking the Polyjuice Potion in her second year?? A cute oneshot fluff!





	A Furry Purr-oblem

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy! Chamber of Secrets inspired obviously!!

Hermione threw her book down onto the hospital bed covers irritably. The effects of the Polyjuice Potion still hadn't worn off after a day and so she was still stuck in the hospital wing, as a cat/woman hybrid. The fur was mostly gone but the ears and tail still remained. She let her gaze wander around the room but it was still the same as the hour before, the last six hours and the last bloody twenty four hours! God, she was bored. She loved a good book as much as anyone. Ok, more than anyone but she just couldn't focus. Besides, there were more pressing matters than a book to worry about. Harry had said that Malfoy didn't know who the Heir of Slytherin was, but surely he must be lying? Malfoy couldn't possibly not keep secrets from Crabbe and Goyle. They were complete and utter trolls! They would have blabbed or bragged about it if he had told them anything. Suddenly, the door was slammed open, jolting Hermione out of her thoughts. " Speak of the devil " She mused grimly. Draco Malfoy himself strutted through the grand double doors of the hospital wing. He surveyed the room with a look of contempt before promptly collapsing to the ground. Hermione raised herself up onto her elbows, shocked, before yelling. ' Madam Pomfrey! ' she cried. ' Madam Pomfrey, come quick! He's after collapsing. ' she said as the nurse rushed out of her office. ' Mr. Malfoy! ' She draped his arm over her shoulder and heaved him into a bed with surprising strength. ' Dear, dear. ' she muttered and then bustled out of the room into her office. Hermione heard the clinking of bottles and assumed she was preparing a potion. A groan from where Malfoy lay drew her attention. She watched, only slightly anxiously, as he blinked groggily and raised himself on one hand. He glanced around the room before his gaze landed on Hermione. She tensed, anger bubbling beneath the surface, ready to be used as witty yet hurtful comebacks. But the onslaught of insults she expected never came. Instead, Malfoy slumped back onto his pillows and rubbed his forehead, breathing heavily. ' What happened? '. She blinked in confusion. He couldn't possibly be speaking to her. And yet, there was no one else there with them. All the other beds were empty. The Petrefied victims had been moved somewhere else due to students showing up to look at them.

' Are you deaf Granger or just an idiot? I'm talking to you. ' She cleared her throat. ' You just... collapsed. ' He nodded and closed his eyes. He looked absolutely exhausted and she felt a twinge of pity for him. Sweat created a light sheen on his brow and his face was much paler than its usual pallor, which said a lot. Madam Pomfrey hurried out of her office holding a blue bottle. ' Drink it all Mr. Malfoy. You know what happens when you don't. ' And with that warning she returned to her office. Hermione watched as the young Malfoy heir drank the potion with a grimace. Once gone, he set it down on the bedside table and lay back onto the pillow. ' Anaemia, Granger. ' ' What? ' He turned his head slightly to look at her. ' I can practically hear you thinking, Granger. I have anaemia. It's a - ' ' A lack of iron in the blood, yes, I know. ' The hospital wing fell silent. ' Polyjuice Potion. ' Malfoy tilted his head but didn't open his eyes. ' Hmm? ' Hermione sighed. ' The reason I look like a cat. Polyjuice Potion. Wrong hair. ' She saw his mouth curve into a slight grin and felt affronted. ' It's not funny, Malfoy! ' He laughed, low and shaky. Turning away, he kept his eyes closed. ' Oh but it is Granger. But it is. '

***  
Another day in the hospital wing and Hermione was fed up. She growled and mock banged her head against the headboard. ' Madam Pomfrey, when can I leave?! ' Said nurse popped her head round the door of her office. ' When those ears and that tail are gone, Ms. Granger. Now come on, drink your potion. ' She withdrew her head and went back to whatever she did when she wasn't looking after patients.

Hermione huffed and snatched the offending bottle from the table. Draco watched her from the doorway. ' Bored Granger? ' She jumped and nearly spilled her potion. ' You would be too Malfoy if you were stuck in her all day. ' She sipped her potion. ' I see you're all better after your little episode yesterday. What are you doing here anyway? ' He walked, hands in pockets, down to Madam Pomfrey's office. ' Need my potion Granger. ' A hand shot out of the office, potion clutched in it. ' Here, Mr.Malfoy. ' He took it and downed the whole lot. ' Ugh ' He shivered and frowned at the bottle. ' That's disgusting.' He put it down on the table near him and walked to the foot of her bed. She crossed her arms and huffed. ' What do you want, Malfoy? ' He smirked and folded his arms, mocking her. ' Your cat-itude isn't very nice Granger. ' Hermione groaned. ' No. No puns Malfoy. ' Draco laughed. ' I should be going then. ' He turned to go before turning back suddenly. ' Here. ' He threw something to her. ' I heard cats like it. ' He walked off and looked over his shoulder when he reached the door, his trademark smirk firmly in place. ' Have fun, Granger. ' He walked out and she opened her hands to reveal a soft ball of wool. ' Malfoy! '

***  
The next day the effects of the potion still hadn't worn off. At least the hairballs had stopped. That was some form of improvement anyway. Hermione batted gently at the ball. The wool was so soft and it had silver in it so it glittered.... She didn't like it, of course she didn't, it came from Malfoy of all people! But there was nothing else to do! And it sparkled.....  
She was so fixated on the wool that she didn't hear the light footsteps of Draco Malfoy as he entered the room. He leaned against the door frame and watched her. ' Having fun? ' She yelped and threw the ball at him. It missed him and rolled under one of the beds. She groaned and sent Malfoy a death glare as she scrambled out of bed and wiggled under the bed to try and reach the ball. Draco watched with a grin and upon seeing her tail, got an idea.

She had almost reached the ball when she felt something brush against her tail. She ignored it, thinking it must just be Madam Pomfrey walking by. She stretched her arm out further and called out to her. ' I'll get back in bed soon Madam Pomfrey, I just need to get this ball of wool. ' She felt something stroke her tail again and couldn't fight the purr that rose in her throat. Shocked, she clasped a hand over her mouth. Draco's head appeared upside down in front of her and she shrieked. He grinned. ' Was that a purr I heard Granger? ' She shrieked again and wriggled out from under the bed. Or at least, she tried to. Draco looked on at her struggle with a boyish grin. ' What's wrong Granger? ' Hermione scowled. ' Nothing, Malfoy. ' He brought his hands down onto the floor to prop himself up. ' Looks like you're in a bit of a tight spot to me. ' She growled and her ears dropped as she flopped down and sighed. 'Just help me, Draco ' He reached under the bed and patted her head. ' Good kitty. ' Hermione shook her head and bared her teeth but the movement caused his hand to rub her cat ears and another purr rumbled out of her. She face planted as Malfoy's laughter caused her face to burn bright red. Her voice was muffled by the floor when she spoke. ' Help. Me. ' She reached her hands out towards him. Still laughing, he grasped her hands and pulled her out from under the bed. He grinned at her from his perch on the bed and held out the ball of wool. Hermione scowled at him but couldn't help thinking his smile was nice and he should do it more. Flustered by her train of thought she got up off the ground with as much grace as she could muster and snatched the ball out of his hands. She sniffed and walked back to her bed. She sat, legs folded, and looked anywhere but at Malfoy. She felt him sit on the end of her bed but refused to acknowledge him.

When Draco spoke, his voice was low and filled with an emotion she couldn't recognise. ' You called me Draco. ' Hermione finally looked at him. ' No one calls me Draco except Mother. ' She studied his profile and thought carefully about what to say. Her feelings towards him were so confused. She should hate him. He's an arrogant little toerag who hated them and he was from Slytherin. He called her a Mudblood for Merlin's sake! But.... these last few days have been, dare she say?, fun. She's discovered a new side of him. She didn't know what brought it on.... but she certainly didn't mind it. ' Well, it is your name. ' She offered with a small smile. He hummed and looked at her with a wry smile that sent her heart fluttering. ' And yet, no one uses it. ' He looked away again and Hermione cast around for something to cheer him up with. Then, she got an idea.

Draco jolted in surprise when the ball of wool landed in his lap. He looked up to see Hermione bouncing slightly on the bed with a smile. Her ears twitched and her tail swished as she focused on the ball. She grinned up at him and laughed. He raised an eyebrow and held up the ball of wool. ' Come on. ' smiled Hermione. ' Or are you scared? Huh? You a scaredy cat? ' He mock frowned. She grinned and bounced some more. Her tail twitched excitably as Draco tossed the ball into the air. ' Is Dwaco a wittle scawdy cat? ' He grinned and shook his head. ' You asked for it. Get ready ' he said. ' Oh yeah? You gonna, you gonna be tough, huh? You gonna - ' She broke off with a shriek of laughter when he threw the ball at her. ' Hey! ' ' Ha! ' Crowed Draco in triumph. ' The element of surprise! ' Hermione grinned and grabbed the ball off the bed. ' Oho, you're going down! '

***  
The next day, there was some change in her state. Her ears and tail had turned from tabby to completely black. Madam Pomfrey had said that one more day should do it and she'd be back to normal. She was looking forward to getting out of the hospital wing after the past three days but she was worried. What was going to happen with Draco? Once she got out, would they still have whatever they had now? He was completely different when they were alone, so much sweeter, nicer, more playful. She was scared it would all change.  
' Hey Granger. So I know you like books an' all and I got this from some first year earlier on and it looks ok, I guess, so- hey, Granger, what happened? ' She wiped her eyes and her fingers came away wet. ' Oh, I'm fine, j-just being silly. ' she replied shaking with a small laugh. Draco sat down on the bed and set aside the book he was holding. She turned away. For some reason she didn't want him to see her cry. Draco grabbed her hand and used his to turn her head gently to look at him. ' Come on, tell me. ' She shook her head and smiled weakly. ' It's nothing. ' He frowned. ' At least tell me if it's serious or not. ' ' It's not. ' Not to you anyway, she added in her mind. He searched her eyes for any hint of deceit but saw none. ' You swear? ' She nodded and smiled but didn't feel any conviction. Deciding to leave it there, for now, he thought, he let go of her chin and reached over for the book he had brought. He scooted backwards until he sat beside Hermione. She moved over slightly to give him room and stared with morbid curiosity at the boom Draco held in his hand. He offered it to her and she took it, trailing her fingers over the swirls and stars engraved into the hard cover of the heavy set book. It's beautiful ' She glanced at him and opened the first few pages eagerly. ' It's a story ' She murmured. Draco watched as she traced the lettering of the title page. ' Yeah. Thought it could be a change from all those knowledgeable books you read. ' Hermione smiled softly. ' Go on. ' He nudged her. ' Read. ' She eyed him slyly and began to read. Draco leaned his head against the headboard and listened to her as she read aloud. Unconsciously he lifted his hand and began to rub her cat ears. Hermione paused for a moment before continuing to read. 'I didn't notice earlier. Your ears and tail have changed. They used to be tabby. ' ' Yeah. Madam Pomfrey said they should be gone by tomorrow. ' ' Oh. ' After a pause, she continued reading. He continued to pet her ears. They stayed like that for a long time until Draco broke the silence. ' I suppose you'll be out of here then. ' Hermione ran her hands over the crisp pages. ' Draco... you're gonna go back to being... you. Aren't you? '

She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Suddenly that book seemed like the most interesting thing in the room right now. She heard him sigh and he lifted his hand from her ears to play with her tail. ' Well, I do have a reputation to uphold. ' She glared at him. ' Bad joke. ' He smiled gently and ran his hand across her tail softly. ' Bad sense of humour. ' he murmured. ' I mean it Draco! This is all going to change isn't it? It's all going to go back to ' Mudblood ' and, and other insults and the hate and- ' ' Hey, hey. ' He cut off her hysteric rambling before it could really start. 

He scooted in front of her and grabbed her gently by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. ' Calm down. ' He pushed a lock of hair out of her face behind her ear, where his hand lingered. She gripped his hand as the swell of irrational fear broke over her. ' We just became friends. Don't go back to what we were before. ' He raised an eyebrow and brushed a hand over her soft ears. ' You mean arch nemesis's ' Hermione barked a short laugh. ' For lack of a better word, yes. ' Draco sighed. ' Hermione '

She gasped lightly. ' You've never called me Hermione before. ' ' Well, it is your name. ' He said with a wry smile. She laughed breathily. ' Hermione look at me. ' She did ' I swear, even if I do say those horrible things to you, I mean none of it. I wish I didn't even have to say it but imagine what would happen if my father knew I was friends with a M- muggle born. ' Hermione stared at him beesechingly. ' Surely your father would understand. Surely you could tell him and he would be happy for you! ' Draco laughed bitterly. ' That's not an option. ' He stared her in the eyes. ' Believe me. ' She saw the bitterness and darkness in his eyes and she hated it. ' Well then, I guess we should finish that book then. ' He smiled faintly. ' Yeah, I guess so. ' He lay back beside her and smiled properly when she lay her head on his shoulder.  
'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.... '  
***  
Hermione walked down the corridors the next day next to Harry and Ron. ' Next time, try not to become a cat Hermione. I've really fallen behind in Binn's class. ' Ron was saying. ' There better not be a next time! ' cried Harry in reply. ' It's good to have you back, 'Mione. ' The pair were jostled aside as Draco and his crew pushed through them. As he passed by her, Hermione felt something slip into her pocket. ' Watch it, Potter ' he hissed over his shoulder. Yet as he turned, Hermione could swear she saw him wink at her. A quick curve of his mouth was all she saw before he stalked off, Crabbe and Goyle in tow. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar ball of wool. She smiled discreetly at Draco's retreating figure. ' It's good to be back Harry. '

 

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone else watching the HP marathon on TV? Comments are an author's life blood! Please give me life : ) Bonus points if you can tell me what book the quote's from : )


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